Combined knife and fork.



PATENTED NOV. `5; 1907.

W. R. BROWN.

COMBINED KNIFE AND FORK.

APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 25. 1907.

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WALLACE RUSSELL BROWN, OF TIDIOUTE, PENNSYLVANIA.

COMBINED KNIFE AND FORK.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 5, 1907'.

Application file( June 25. 1907. Serial No. 380,811.

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALLACE RUSSELL BROWN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Tidioute, in the county of Warren and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Combined Knife and Fork, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. This invention relates to a combined knife and fork and the object of the invention is to produce an article which will carry a knife blade and a fork normally in a folded relation and attached together in a convenient handle, said handle being made in separable parts so that the device be capable of use as a knife and fork.

The invention is expected to be especially useful as an article to be carried by persons on camping expeditions, or under similar circumstances.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described lhereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective showing the knife in an open position and separated from the fork; Fig. 2 is a perspective showing the fork in an open position and separated from the knife; Fig. 8 is a longitudinalcentral section through the handle of the device, representing the parts assembled together but with the knife blade and the fork blade represented in an open position and broken away; Figr4 is a cross section taken through' the handle of the device and representing the two separable parts in juxtaposition and about to be fastened together; and Fig. 5 is aview similar to Fig. 4 but representing the parts as attached', this view is taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents the handle of the knife, and this handle consists of an outside plate 2 and an inside plate or locking plate 3. At one extremity of this handle a blade 4 is pivoted upon a suitable pin 5, and at the back a spring 6 is provided which coperates with the blade so as to hold the same in an open or closed position, in a manner well known in pocket knives. At the end adjacent to the blade 4, the opposite plate 2 is formed with a` bolster or head 7 which is of increased thickness with respect to the plate, as indicated in Fig. 3, and against this bolster abuts the extremity of a facing strip or grip 8, of bone or similar material. The fork handle 9 is similar in construction to the handle of the knife just doscribed, presenting an inside plate or locking plate 10 and an outside plate 11, At one extremity between these plates a fork blade 12 is attached by a pivot pin 13. On the outside plate l1 at one end, a bolster 14 is formed similar to the bolster 7, and against this bolster abuts a facing piece or grip 15 which may be of bone or similar material, i

. The knife blade 4 is adapted to be folded into the space between the plates 2 and 3 in the manner usual with pocket knives, and, likewise, the fork 12 is adapted to fold into the space between the plates 10 and 11. When the knife and fork are to be used, they are separated as illustrated in Figs. l and 2.

According to my invention, the two separable handles 1 and 9 may be attached together so as to form a single handle having, as it were, two blades, one of which is the knife blade 4 and the other of which is the fork blade 12. In order to bring about this arrangement, the inside plate or locking plate 3 of the knife handle 1 is provided with two elongated slots 16 which extend longitudinally of the handle as shown. Near their extremities which lie toward the knife blade, the edges of these slots are enlarged on opposite sides so as to form an enlarged opening or eye 17. At corresponding points on the inside plate of the handle 9, the material of the inside plate is forced outwardly preferably in a suitable stamping press, so as to present at each point a substantially circular head 18 -which is connected with the body of the plate by inclined tongues 19, the said tongues being disposed in a plane extending longitudinally of the fork handle. The diameter of the heads 18 is such that they may pass easily through the eyes or openings 17, but it will be observed that the tongues 19 are of reduced width, so that they maybe received in the slots 16. The heads 18 are offset suffieiently from the body of the plate 10 to enable the heads 18 topass completely through the eye 17 when the two handles are set together in the manner indicated in Fig. 4. With theheads 18 received near the inner faces of the platev 3, the fork handle is forced longitudinally of the knife handle and toward the butt end of the device. This movement slides the head 18 out of alinement with the eyes 17, so that'the side edges of these heads between the tongues 19 project over the edges of the slots 16 and securely lock the handles together. In this connection it should be understood that the-tongues 19 extend through the slots 16 and the side edges of the tongues engage the edges of the slots in such a. way as to lock the handles securely against a lateral movement with respect to each other. The arrangement of the parts when the handles are locked together in the manner described, is that illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. When the handles have been put together in the manner suggested, the knife blade and the fork blade may be folded like the blades of an ordinary knife, so that the complete article presents substantially the appearance of an ordinary pocket knife. However,

l, An article of the class described, comprising a handle presenting a plate with longitudinally disposed slots formed therethrough, said slots having enlargements constituting eyes, and a second handle having a plate having heads offset therefrom and adapted to pass through said eyes, said heads being connected at opposite points with said last plate by inclined tongues adapted to lie in said slots. and blades carried by said handles respectively and having` different functions.

2. In an article ot' the class described, a handle consist ing of separable sections, one of said sections presenting a plate having .longitudinally disposed slots formed therein. with enlargements constituting eyes, the other of said sections having a plate with heads formed integrally therewith and offset from vthe material thereof, said heads having tongues connecting the same with said second plate and disposed in a plane extending longitudinally of said second section whereby said sections may be applied to each other with said heads inserted into said eyes, the longitudinal movement of said section affording means for passing said heads out of alinement with said eyes.

3. In`an article of the class described, a handle cornposed of separable sections, one of said sections presenting a plate with longitudinally disposed slots therein, said slots having enlargements constituting eyes, the other of said sections presenting a plate having substantially circular heads offset therefrom and adapted to be received through said eyes when said sections are applied together', said heads being connected with said second plate by in clincd tongues adapted to pass through said slots Whereby said sections may be united by inserting said heads through said eyes and moving said sections longitudinally relatively to each other.

ln testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WALLACE RUSSELL BROWN.

Witnesses GEORGE L. MERKLE, ROBERT W. THOMPSON. 

